iPod Roulette - September 2010

Here's what came up in the shuffle this month. Any of these bring back memories for you?


1. Newborn Friend (Seal) - His first two albums were my favorites, this one coming from the second.

2. You Send Me (Sam Cooke) - I don't think I ever knew the tragic circumstances of Sam Cooke's death until I read his Wiki-bio.

3. Time For Me To Fly (REO Speedwagon) - From 1978. I prefer their music from the early to mid 70s.

4. MMM MMM MMMM (Crash Test Dummies) - My kids and I loved this song when it was popular.

5. Amazing Journey/Sparks (The Who) - A track from the rock opera Tommy.

6. Saxuality (Candy Dulfer) - Amazing the things I learn by doing these posts! I didn't realize Candy Dulfer was Dutch.

7. If I Can't Have You (Bee Gees) - This was the "Count Da Money Remix" version.

8. China Grove (Doobie Brothers) - The Doobies have a new album out and a single from it is available for free on iTunes this week. They still sound good!

9. Janie's Got a Gun (Aerosmith) - Great Classic Rock.

10. Seven Whole Days (Toni Braxton) - Evidently she is also known for being on Dancing With The Stars.

11. I Wanna Learn a Love Song (Harry Chapin) - Mention Harry Chapin and most folks automatically think of Cat's in the Cradle. That song might have gotten the most airplay, but he was a great storyteller and put out many other wonderful songs including this one. Another tragic death.

12. Dolphin Dreams (Lee Ritenour) - I love it when a song comes up in the rotation that I haven't heard in ages! Did you know that Ritenour appeared in one of the songs on Pink Floyd's The Wall album?

13. Lonesome Loser (Little River Band) - I like this one, but nothing beats Reminiscing.

14. Ballad of Big (Genesis) - This is from their album And Then There Were Three, which was released after the departure of Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett. Not the progressive alt/rock of their early days, but before they descended into pop.

15. Ghetto Child (The Spinners) - It horrifies my daughter when I say this, but I like The Spinners better than The Temptations or The Four Tops.

Rottweilers

Six months have passed since we lost our Esther girl and I still miss her. I'll try not to look at the wall calendar in the kitchen next week where her birthday is still noted in red. A friend sent me a link over the weekend to a wonderful article about a Rottweiler honored in England for saving a woman from an attacker. Click here if you would like to read the story. I love seeing Rottweilers portrayed in a positive light!

I miss having a Rottie in the house. *sigh*

Six dogs are enough for now, but someday I'll have another Rottweiler. That's a promise.

Fair Tax

I normally stay away from political posts, but I came across an editorial I thought was interesting and felt was worth sharing. I'm not a Mike Huckabee fan. I didn't particularly care for him when he was Governor of Arkansas or when he ran for president in 2008. But the editorial he recently contributed to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette made sense to me.

Facts and the Fair Tax

Feel free to leave comments with your thoughts, but keep in mind I'm not a debater and will probably not attempt to counter your opinions if they differ from mine.

Stiff by Mary Roach

Mary Roach use to write a monthly column for Reader's Digest called "My Planet". It was often informative, occasionally irreverent, and always funny. She sometimes contributed to another favorite magazine of mine, Discover, and it was there I saw a review for Stiff. I requested the book for Christmas that year and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since (seven years!!).

While perusing my shelves for books that would fit the RIP V Challenge (click on sidebar image for details), I realized Stiff would be perfect. Consider the full title: Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. This is not fiction, folks, and not for the squeamish or faint of heart. However, Mary Roach has a knack of being able to tackle a sobering topic like this with enough humor to keep it interesting and not too dry, yet not so much that it becomes flippant or disrespectful. I was entertained, informed, and yes...a bit grossed out in a few places. Actually, it was the parts which described experiments using live dogs that disturbed me the most.

The book is divided into twelve chapters covering a variety of topics. For example, Chapter One deals with using cadaver heads for learning (or brushing up on) surgical procedures, often by plastic surgeons. Chapter Two looks back into the history of human dissection and body snatching. Chapter Three focuses on the science of what happens to the body after death and takes a visit to the "Body Farm" at the University of Tennessee. Other chapters cover things like what can be learned from bodies in plane crashes, their use by the military and auto safety industry, religious experiments and the search for the soul, transplants, cannibalism, and of course... options for what to do with your body after you're through living in it.

With the exception of a few "insecty" things, I'm not a squeamish person and have a fairly strong stomach. I remember being grossly fascinated by my older (by 12 years) brother's textbooks when he was in medical school. (Ironically, he was a pathologist and therefore dealt with more than his share of cadavers) So, I'll admit I thought this was a very interesting book. I learned a lot (maybe more than I really needed to know in some cases) and laughed a lot in the process.

Open your eyes!

You never know what you're going to see when you make the effort to really notice things! You should be able to click on these to enlarge them.

This little guy barely slowed down to get his picture snapped!

I prefer green lizards to this kind.

These died off in the middle of the summer, but came back beautifully later.

This little grasshopper thought he was hidden.

These green dragonflies are my favorites. They love to pose!

My camera never would focus on the flower.

I hate worms, so it was difficult for me to take this one. Ugh!

These flowers (weeds) are everywhere!

Want a closer look?

Another weed, but still quite pretty.

This thing turned its head to look at me. How creepy is that!?

I have no idea what this plant is, but it's sure interesting!

Coordinating

Okay. So I admitted in the 8 Questions post that I'm not exactly a fashion maven. My wardrobe consists of mostly shorts, capris, t-shirts, and the like. Winter brings out the jeans and fleece. However, just because I rarely dress up and don't always adhere to the latest trends, that doesn't mean I don't try to look nice. I like to wear fun jewelry and coordinate my accessories with my clothing. One of my favorite ways to do this is with my nifty glasses I told you about here.

I now have a new way to accessorize: The Miche Bag. This has to be the most fun purse I've ever had! "How can a purse be fun?", you might ask. Because I can change the outer shell to match my outfit in the blink of an eye! I always loved the styles of my mother's time when women would match their handbags and shoes to their dresses, but in reality it's a pain to switch purses. Now I can do that without having to move the "innards". Speaking of innards... I've always been quite picky about my purses. I don't like the hobo or satchel types where everything ends up in the bottom. I also don't like a purse that is so big it could include the kitchen sink along with everything else. When I first saw an ad for the Miche Bag I couldn't tell what the inside looked like as far as compartments and I wasn't sure which size I wanted. That kept me from ordering online. While on vacation this summer we walked past a Miche Bag kiosk in one of the hotels and I had the opportunity to examine one in real life. It was everything I had hoped it would be! After a little haggling, I walked out with a purse and four shells. My husband treated me to two more shells for my birthday. I may never have to buy another purse again!

Today I wore a red t-shirt. That called for my red frames and the shell pictured here.

The old swimming hole

When my husband and I married 25 years ago, we decided to move to the country to raise our kids. We preferred the county school system and liked the idea of having some "space" around us. Our next big decision was to put in a swimming pool. We liked swimming as kids, both of us swimming by age two, and wanted our kids to have that same opportunity.

We never regretted the decision. Though my husband rarely swam (except to cool down occasionally after mowing the lawn), the kids and I used it every summer. When they got older and I knew they didn't always want "mom" out there, I could watch from the window. It was enjoyed on a regular basis.

Things changed once the kids finished high school. They no longer came home for long stretches and it became obvious how costly it was (both in time and money) to keep the pool up and running, only to get very little use. The past two summers it didn't get opened at all.

We knew the practical thing to do. Fill it in. I was 100% in agreement with the decision. It will make a wonderful garden spot next summer. Still....now that the deed is done, I'm feeling a bit sad.

Shortly after the pool was put in.

Today.


*Sigh*

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

The Crossing Places is the first in a new crime series by Elly Griffiths introducing Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist. The story takes place in a remote fictional area of Norfolk, England known as the Saltmarsh and begins with the discovery of a child's bones, possibly those of a girl who disappeared ten years earlier. Ruth is brought in for consultation by Detective Chief Inspector Harry Nelson, whose inability to solve the case has weighed heavily on him over the years. Galloway and Nelson make an interesting team as they set out to solve the mystery. Things become more complicated when another child goes missing. Mysterious letters with Pagan, Christian, literary and archaeological references lead them to question whether the two disappearances are connected and if they were modeled on the ritual human sacrifices of the Iron Age.

One of my favorite things about this novel was the "likability" of the central character, Dr. Ruth Galloway. She is portrayed as slightly overweight, a bit of a loner, and a touch insecure. In other words, she isn't your typical heroine. I found her very easy to relate to. It's an exciting, well written debut and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Dorte for introducing me to this series. You can read her excellent review here.

This novel is my sixth for the Typically British Reading Challenge and my second for the RIP V Challenge.

Our stinky visitor

We had a visitor recently and I think it was a stressful 24 hour visit for him. It was no bed of roses for us, either.

It all began in the wee hours of Friday morning. Our outside dogs had been barking unceasingly and Suzy decided to join in, unceasingly. She has a shrill, piercing bark and it finally reached the point that my husband had to get up and tell her to be quiet. As we lay there in the dark, trying to go back to sleep my husband suddenly said, "Skunk! Do you smell it??" Sure enough...I caught the faintest whiff of "perfume". We knew the outside dogs must have cornered one and the smell was somehow getting into the house.

Friday morning we found it. He (she? I wasn't getting close enough to identify the sex) was huddled in the corner of the flower bed, hiding behind a waterhose caddy. If you look closely at this photo you'll see him.

We tried the keep the dogs away in hopes he'd take the opportunity to escape. No luck. Skunks tend to be nocturnal, so he wasn't planning to go anywhere for awhile. Throughout the day the dogs would get close and bark at him. Fortunately they stayed out of range and never got sprayed directly. Still....he was warning them and the perfume lingered.

Around 3:30 Saturday morning my husband heard them barking again. This time he went outside and used the waterhose to keep the dogs away from him. Then he sprayed in the skunk's general direction hoping to drive him out. It must have worked since he was gone at daybreak....and it must have been an uneventful exit since none of the dogs got targeted.

Whew! I'm glad that's over! I'm sure our visitor is glad, too.

8 Questions

Okay.....I've been tagged. Thanks to Dorte at DJs Krimiblog I am to answer the following questions then tag three others. Let's see what I can come up with.

1. If you could have any superpower, what would you have? Why?
My kids use to ask me this when they were little. I always had trouble coming up with an answer then, but I think I've finally figured it out. I would like to be able to teleport! It would be great to go anywhere in the world with the blink of an eye.

2. Who is your style icon?
Those who know me in real life know I'm not big on "fashion". I dress for comfort and to suit myself.

3. What is your favorite quote?
The Bible verse from 2 Corinthians that I have in my profile. It speaks volumes about my life.

4. What is the best compliment you've ever received?
Perhaps that I'm a good listener. So often saying the "right" thing is to say "nothing".

5. What playlist/cd is in your CD player right now?
Mmmm..that changes with my moods. I've been on a 70s Rock kick lately.

6. Are you a night owl or a morning person?
For the most part I'd say I'm a morning person.

7. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
I'm definitely a dog person (though I have nothing against cats)

8. What is the meaning behind your blog name?
My blog doesn't stick to one topic such as books, cooking, photography or whatever. I'm not much of a writer, either. So....it's just a collection of my "thoughts and ramblings". Believe me, it's a challenge sometimes to keep my entries "readable" rather than just "random".


Now, which bloggers will I tag? (and will those I tag participate?) Even if I don't tag you specifically, feel free to join in!

Marion, Quid, Tracy.......you're IT! (or still it considering Tracy just did a different tag game today)

Pops and photos

Here's another recipe from Aarti Sequeira, the newest Food Network star. I knew when I made this that probably no one in my family would eat it, but it looked so good I just had to try it anyway. I think I used too many pistachios, but other than that it tasted quite good.

Creamy Pistachio Pops

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
4 Earl Grey tea bags
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup heavy cream
Handful finely chopped pistachios, plus extra for garnish

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring evaporated milk to a simmer until small bubbles form around the circumference of the pot. Meanwhile, snip the tops of the tea bags and add to the milk. Whisk in cardamom. Once the milk is simmering, turn the heat off, cover and let sit and steep for 30 minutes.

Strain the evaporated milk into a large bowl. Whisk in the condensed milk, heavy cream and pistachios. Either pour the mixture into ice pop mold, small bowls or a large bowl. Cover the bowls with a piece of plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn and the formation of a "skin". Pop them into the freezer and freeze overnight.

When you're ready to serve, run the ice pop mold under hot water to loosen it. You can do the same thing for the smaller bowls if you'd like to serve it as a little kulfi half dome. Garnish with more nuts if you like and serve.


I don't have any photos of the pistachio pops, so instead I'll share some photos I took on a return trip to the farm this weekend.

Pulled Pork Barbeque and Sauce

Do you remember the promise I made you here?

I knew I wanted to try the pulled pork recipe found at the back of Delicious and Suspicious and when I saw a pork butt (which comes from the shoulder, oddly enough) in just the right size at WalMart last week, I jumped at the opportunity. I was filled with anticipation as the aroma of slowly roasting pork wafted through my home on Friday. As I put together the sauce I realized I didn't have any chili powder, but I didn't let that worry me. My husband doesn't like his food very spicy and I already knew I would cut back on the cayenne, so I didn't think it would hurt to just leave it out.

Okay...let me cut to the chase. This was the most delicious pulled pork barbeque I think I've ever eaten in my life!! Tender. Succulent. Flavorful. It defies description!! I will definitely make this again (and again, and again). I wrote the author and she graciously gave me permission to share the recipe with you here. Enjoy!

Pulled Pork Barbeque and Sauce

Dry rub for the pork:

3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon salt
1 (5-7 pound) pork roast, preferable shoulder or Boston butt

Mix all the ingredients (except the pork) in a bowl and rub the mixture on the pork. Refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 300F degrees. Roast the pork in a roasting pan for 6 hours (until it's 170F degrees), or until it falls apart.
When the pork is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. While it's still warm, pull the pork with a fork. Serve on hamburger buns with sauce.

And now for the sauce:

2 cups ketchup
2 cups tomato sauce
1-1/4 cups brown sugar
1-1/4 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
4 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon butter

1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Over medium heat, mix the ingredients in a large saucepan until it bubbles.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for up to 20 minutes.

Nemesis by Lindsey Davis

Nemesis by Lindsey Davis is the 20th of the "Marcus Didius Falco" novels. One of my favorite series, I look forward to each offering with great anticipation. Filled with the usual dry humor, entertaining characters, and clever writing, this book had a darker edge to it than some of the previous Falco mysteries. Although I enjoy the installments that have Falco traipsing around the Empire, I was glad to have him back in Rome for the majority of this one. Davis does a great job of keeping her characters from becoming stale and I think this was one of her best to date.

From the inside cover:

"In the high summer of A.D. 77, Roman informer Marcus Didius Falco is newly bereaved and facing unexpected upheavals in his life, so it comes as a relief for his to consider someone else's misfortunes. A middle-aged couple who supplied statues to his father, Geminus, have disappeared in mysterious circumstances. They had an old feud with a bunch of notorious freedmen, the Claudii, who live in the Pontine Marshes, terrorizing the neighborhood.

When a mutilated corpse turns up near Rome, Falco and his vigiles friend Petronius investigate, but just as they are making progress, the Chief Spy, Anacrites, snatches their case away from them, making it clear that the violent Claudii have acquired protection at the highest level.

Refusing to abandon their inquiries, Falco and Petronius instead dig deeper, seeking answers while a psychotic killer keeps taking more victims, and the shocking truth creeps closer and closer to home."

This book was my first for the R.I.P. V Challenge and my fifth for the Typically British Challenge.

Play it again!

This time last year I posted an entry about a wonderful evening I spent at the symphony listening to the music of The Eagles, of all things. If you missed that one, you can click here to see what I'm talking about.

Last night our regional symphony kicked off their current season, Music of All Nations, with a similar treat..... the return of Jeans 'n Classics, this time with the music of Pink Floyd!!! As much as I like The Eagles, in my opinion their music just can't compare with that of Pink Floyd. The evening was everything I anticipated (and for months, at that)!!

The first half of the program was dedicated to setting the stage. They performed music of that era which lent itself well to orchestration. The selections included Conquistador (Procol Harum), Crime of the Century (Supertramp), Space Oddity (David Bowie), Acid Queen (The Who), Lucky Man (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), Living in the Past (Jethro Tull), and two Pink Floyd numbers - Wish You Were Here and Another Brick in the Wall Part 2.

Following the intermission, they performed Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety! You may remember it appeared on my Favorite Five - Albums list. What an experience!!! Thinking the evening couldn't get any better, they gave an encore with Comfortably Numb, the crowning jewel from The Wall album!

Jeans 'n Classics have a large repertoire. Dare I hope they return another year - maybe to do Led Zeppelin?

One of those days

Ever have one of those days? You know the kind... anything that can go wrong will and as the day progresses, it only gets worse.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. Usually I can draw myself out of my funk by stopping and thinking about how good my life is. Seriously, I am SO blessed! I try to make a conscious effort to thank God for this on a regular basis. Still.... my pity party continued throughout most of the day.

Pictured here is something that I don't think I've ever seen in our house before. That certainly provided an interesting temporary diversion! Also, I tried another new dish for supper last night (see recipe below) and it ended up being really good - another positive for the day.


Things, of course, look brighter today. God doesn't promise that life will be easy, but He does promise that He will always be there for us. A comforting thought.


Grilled Caesar Chicken Breasts

taken from Simple & Delicious

(Marcia Wallenfeldt ~ Kent, OH)

1/2 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 oz. each)*

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the dressing, oil, mustard and garlic. Add the chicken; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken, covered over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170F.

*I used a 20 oz. package of chicken breast tenders and cut back the broiling time.

Favorite Five - Love Songs

Okay. I'm not a romantic kinda gal and I don't have a playlist on my iPod for "love songs", but... I've had a request for a Favorite Five post on this topic. Without letting myself think too long and hard about it, here's what I've come up with. I've included some YouTube clips, but they don't always do the song justice.


1. I Only Have Eyes For You (Art Garfunkel) - I remember listening to this as a teenager and my mother coming into my room singing along with it. I was surprised to find out it was a cover of a song that had been recorded several times before! YouTube clip

2. Waiting For a Girl Like You (Foreigner) - This one brings back memories of a time that wasn't so pleasant. I try not to let that ruin the song for me. YouTube clip

3. Don't Want to Wait Anymore (The Tubes) - The memories are a little better with this one even thought they're from pretty much the same time period. YouTube clip (The studio version is SO much better!!)

4. Love Me Now (Gino Vannelli) - Actually, this song is best when listened to with the song that preceeds it on the album, Storm at Sunup. I use to listen to this in my college dorm using a pair of those huge headphones.... really, really getting into it. YouTube clip

5. Ain't Nobody (Rufus & Chaka Khan) - There was a time where I used this as the personalized ringtone for my husband on my phone. YouTube clip

Worth mentioning: Your Song (Elton John), He Stopped Loving Her Today (George Jones), Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers), Shake You Down (Gregory Abbott), Run to Me (The Bee Gees), Sometimes When We Touch (Dan Hill), My Prayer (The Platters).

As always, I know I've left out some really good ones! What are some of your favorites?

Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Orange and Cardamom

Back during the winter I confessed to you my obsession with The Food Network.

This summer, Quid and I sat in front of our respective TVs each Sunday evening, texting back and forth as the Next Food Network Star was decided. We both were pleased with the results and agreed to watch Aarti Sequeira's new show "Aarti Party" and to try some of her recipes. You can click here to find Quid's first review, for "Sloppy Bombay Joes".

Tonight I tried the "I Ain't Chicken Chicken: Crispy Roasted Chicken Breasts with Orange and Cardamom". While searching the Food Network site for the recipe, I was surprised to find a slightly different version of the recipe as well as the one linked above. If you are interested, you can compare the two before deciding which to try.

The things I liked about the recipe were the way the skin crisped up, how moist the chicken was, and the delicious flavor.

What I didn't like was the high temperature at which the recipe cooked causing the oven to smoke.

Will I make this again? Probably not, but it was certainly enjoyable this one time.

A Day at the Farm

The first weekend in September is traditionally the opening of dove season in Arkansas. I haven't hunted the past couple of years and the last time I did it was right here at our house. This year my husband, his brother, and I decided to drive over to the Mississippi River Delta to hunt. Legal shooting begins a half hour before sunrise, so we began our journey in the dark.

As we drove through the night, I gazed up at Orion (my favorite constellation) thinking how glad I am that I live in the country. I don't believe I could be happy again in town where the lights dim the stars. The faintest hint of daylight was appearing just as we reached my favorite part of the drive... where the Delta begins. It's a noticeable change in topography as the forest gives way to flat farmland.

I was glad I had the sense to take a long-sleeved shirt as there was a definite nip in the air. Perhaps Fall isn't far off! Overall, it was a fun morning. We've definitely had better hunts, but still got enough for a few meals. I'll be honest... as much as I enjoy hunting, I'm getting pretty soft-hearted in my old age. There were moments when I was torn between shooting with my gun or with my camera. Here are a few offerings from the latter. Click on them for a larger view. Don't worry, no dove pictures.

One of several nests I saw.
The sun had not broken the horizon at this point.



The sun rose quickly behind the grain bins.



While watching for dove I photographed some of the farm equipment.

A massive track hoe!

We have loads of dragonflies around our house, but the ones in the Delta put ours to shame! Veritable B-52 Bombers!!
Theirs may be larger, but ours are prettier.

Isn't this beautiful rice?!

Who Do I Lean On? by Neta Jackson

There are some books that fall into the "comfort food of reading" category. You know the type. Light, easy reading, yet not totally mindless. Books that leave you warm and satisfied at the end.

Neta Jackson's "Yada Yada Prayer Group" series falls into that category. The original series contains seven titles and follows the ups and downs of a diverse group of women in the Chicago area. Thrown together into a prayer group at a Christian Women's Conference, they decide to continue meeting and praying together on a regular basis after the conference ends. I love the interactions between the women and their families, both good and bad, as they struggle and rejoice in life's offerings.

Who Do I Lean On? is the third novel in her second series called the "House of Hope" novels. They take place in Chicago, too, with a new set of central characters, yet continue to draw from the original series allowing you see the original characters in a different light. There will be one more book in this series and I'm really looking forward to it! In the meantime, Dave Jackson (Neta's husband) has a second "Harry Bentley" book coming out soon. Dealing with the same characters, they are written parallel to the House of Hope books, but from a man's point of view.

Does it sound confusing? It's really not. Just click here for more information about these "comfort food books" from Dave and Neta Jackson.

R.I.P. V Challenge

I just discovered a reading challenge at Jenners' blog that I don't think I can pass up! Hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, the R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril V Challenge embraces mystery, suspense, thrillers, dark fantasy, gothic, horror, and the supernatural. This is the fifth year for the challenge (thus the V) and the gorgeous artwork associated with it is by Jennifer Gordon.

Since I started a new book last night that fits the bill (a mystery) I decided I might as well jump in a give it a go. I'm going to be brave and attempt the "Peril the First" and read four books. The challenge officially runs from September 1st through October 31st. If you want all the particulars on the challenge (and perhaps join in), you can click here for all the info.


I have several books on my shelf that will fit the challenge. I do know that two of my four will be Nemesis by Lindsey Davis and The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. In keeping with mystery and suspense.... the other two books remain to be seen!

Comments

Boonie had a post not long ago concerning comments that got me to thinking. Click here to read it.

I visit quite a few blogs. Some have many followers, some just a few. I realize the number of followers doesn't necessarily indicate the number of readers. I know in my case I have a few followers that I'm fairly certain rarely, if ever, visit my blog. By the same token, there are non-followers (and some non-bloggers) who visit regularly including some lurkers who never comment. This post is geared towards my fellow bloggers or anyone who leaves comments on blogs.

I've noticed that some (but certainly not all) bloggers reply to the comments they receive. I think this is a nice personal touch and I always appreciate being acknowledged. That said, I don't usually do this in my own blog. The exceptions are when someone has asked a question that I don't think is rhetorical or when I post an entry that sparks discussion, such as a "favorite five" or an "iPod Roulette". Also, if someone new comments, I usually leave a reply thanking them for stopping by and leave a similar comment at their place in case they don't check back. In fact, I think the main reason for my habits is that I figure folks never do come back to my blog for a second look after their initial comment on a post.

So tell me... what is your policy? Do you always reply to comments? Maybe just those asking a question? Does it bother you when bloggers don't reply to your comments? As readers, do you usually go back to an entry once you've left a comment there? If you do, are you disappointed when there isn't a response?

I'm curious. What's your opinion?